Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

If you want to find peace, then look at that point where you find you're dissatisfied and investigate what's really going on.

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

When the heart is still, it can be kind. When the mind is still, it can see clearly.

The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.

Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.